Overview

Mission Statement

I will improve the health of people around the world through excellence in bioinformatics, clinical research, and healthcare delivery, and education.

Narrative

I am a physician with a unique skillset who can translate the human experience of clinical medicine into the language of biostatistics and bioinformatics.

I am a pediatric hematologist-oncologist who trained at one the largest and most prestigious pediatric hospitals in the nation, Texas Children’s Hospital. One of my primary professional responsibilities is designing and maintaining a clinical and operations data management system for a pediatric hematology-oncology organization that cares for children with cancer and blood disorders in three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. I am a co-Principal Investigator on a mixed methods project evaluating the experience of families in Sub-Saharan Africa as they endure treatment, with the goal of designing better care systems to support them. I also conduct research in the areas of clinical pharmacogenomics and epidemiology, which was funded through an NIH training grant and for which I have won several awards. As I believe in the importance of data-informed clinical care, I led a group to design and deliver a biostatistics course for clinicians and other health care providers. I have led a variety of other successful transdisciplinary, intentional education projects as well (see below).

These experiences have made me fluent in the languages of clinical medicine, bioinformatics, biostatistics and healthcare delivery, and therefore a perfect fit as a physician informaticist working in a transdisciplinary team.

Background Information

Current Employment

Instructor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
7/21-Present

Director, Community Education and Outreach Division
Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence)
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
7/21-Present

Data Analytics Physician Expert, Monitoring and Evaluation Group
Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence)
Baylor College of Medicine
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
7/21-Present


*Note: I will take the American Board of Pediatrics Hematology - Oncology Subspecialty board exam in April 2021.

Click the tabs below for more information.

Credentials

Education
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (MD) awarded May 2014, graduated with honors
7/10-5/14

University of Texas at Houston School of Public Health
Master’s in Public Health (MPH) awarded May 2014
7/10-5/14

Texas A&M University
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Chemistry, minor in Mathematics, magna cum laude
8/06-5/10


Board Results
American Board of Pediatrics
Score: 251
ABP Results


Previous work experience
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Postgraduate Clinical Fellowship
Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas
7/17-6/20

General Pediatrics Residency
Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas
7/14-6/17


Other Work Experience
Owner, The Doctors’ Dialectic, LLC.
A science communication company. Produces a podcast about global pediatric hematology-oncology.
Houston, Texas
1/19-Present

Research and Publications

Journal Articles
Dolores Mullikin, Daniel Ranch, Yasmin Khalfe, Brandon Lucari, Mark C. Zobeck, Chatchawin Assanasen, M. Monica Gramatges, Michael E. Scheurer & Eric S. Schafer (2020) Hispanic ethnicity is associated with prolonged clearance of high dose methotrexate and severe nephrotoxicity in children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Leukemia & Lymphoma, DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2020.1783445

Knadler JJ, Zobeck M, Masand P, Sartain S, Kyle WB. In Utero Aortic Arch Thrombosis Masquerading as Interrupted Aortic Arch: A Case Report and Review of the Literature. Pediatr Cardiol. 2019:1-6.


Oral Presentations
Zobeck M, Bernhardt M, Kamdar K, Rabin K, Lupo P, Scheurer M. Novel risk factors for glucarpidase use in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Hispanic ethnicity, age, and the ABCC4 gene. In: Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center Research Symposium; 2020, May 27; Houston, Texas. 2020. Award: Top Eight Abstracts

Zobeck M, Bernhardt M, Kamdar K, Rabin K, Lupo P, Scheurer M. Novel risk factors for glucarpidase use in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Hispanic ethnicity, age, and the ABCC4 gene. In: International Society of Pediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2020, October 15; Virtual. 2020. Award: Young Investigator Award


Posters and Abstracts
Zobeck, M, Bernhardt M, Kamdar K, Rabin K, Lupo P, Scheurer M. Glucarpidase use in Pediatric ALL: A Bayesian Analysis of Clinical and Genetic Risk Factors. In: American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Annual Conference; 2020, May 6-9; Fort Worth, Texas. 2020.

Shakeel O, Zobeck M, Mangum R, Brackett J. Improving Knowledge and Comfort of Oncofertility: An institutional Quality Improvement Project. In: Pediatric Research Symposium; 2020, March 24; Houston, Texas. 2020. Award: Top Five Abstracts

Zobeck, M, Bernhardt M, Kamdar K, Rabin K, Lupo P, Scheurer M. Glucarpidase use in Pediatric ALL: A Bayesian Analysis of Clinical and Genetic Risk Factors. In: Pediatric Research Symposium; 2020, March 24; Houston, Texas. 2020.

Zobeck M, Slone J, Geel J, Ranasinghe N, LibesJ, Hollis R, Kunkel R, Howard S. Podcasting Delivers Global Pediatric Oncology Education in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2019, October 23-26; Lyon, France. 2019.

A. Brown, O. Taylor A, M. Barrow, Z. Dreyer E, J. Brackett, M. Zobeck, I. Moore K, P. Mitby, C. Hooke, M. Hockenberry J, P. Lupo J, M. Scheurer. Genetic Ancestry‐based Pharmacogenomics of Methotrexate Neurotoxicity in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2019, October 23-26; Lyon, France. 2019.

O. Taylor, A. Brown, M. Barrow, Z. Dreyer, J. Brackett, M. Zobeck, M. Hockenberry, P. Lupo, M. Scheurer. Risk Factors for the Development of Second Neurotoxic Events Among Children Being Treated for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2019, October 23-26; Lyon, France. 2019.

J. Geel, N. Ranasinghe, J. Challinor, K. Myezo, J. Slone, J. Libes, R. Kunkel, R. Hollis, M. Zobeck, E. Bouffet. SIOP Mapping of African Paediatric Oncology Services: Implications for Training and Education. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2019, October 23-26; Lyon, France. 2019.

Zobeck M, Bernhardt M, Kamdar K, Scheurer M. Single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with methotrexate toxicity are unequally prevalent in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients of different races and ethnicities. In: Pediatric Research Symposium; 2019, November 9; Houston, Texas (and SIOP Annual Congress 2019, Lyon France).

Slone J, Zobeck M, Libes, J, Kunkel R, Ranasinghe N, Geel, J. Improved Access to International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) Paediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) Adapted Treatment Guidelines. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2018, November 16-19; Kyoto, Japan. 2018.

Slone J, Zobeck M, Libes, J, Kunkel R, Ranasinghe N, Geel, J. Launching POINTE: Use of Branding and Social Media to Promote Pediatric Oncology Education and Training Opportunities. Poster Presentation. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2017, October 12-15; Washington, DC. 2017.

Zobeck M, Gilliland T, Slone A, Semetsa P, Raletshegwana M, Scheurer M, Mehta P, Slone J. Pediatric Cancer Treatment Abandonment in Botswana: Factors Influencing a Lower than Expected Treatment Abandonment Rate. Poster presentation. In: International Society of Paediatric Oncology Annual Congress; 2017, October 12-15; Washington, DC. 2017.


Peer Reviewer
2/21 – Present: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology

10/20 – Present: Pediatric Blood and Cancer

Grants and Awards

Grants
1/21 - Present: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation – Pediatric cancer treatment abandonment and retention in Sub-Saharan Africa pilot grant

7/19 - 6/20: NIH T32 - Medical Genetics Research Fellowship


Awards
10/20 Young Investigator Award, International Society of Pediatric Oncology Annual

5/20 Top scoring abstract and oral presentation Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center Annual Research Symposium

5/16 Reba Michels Hill Scholarship for Pediatric Resident Community Engagement Activities

3/14 TTUHSC El Paso Department of Pediatrics ‘Outstanding Student’ Award

3/14 TTUHSC El Paso Department of Neurology ‘Outstanding Student’ Award

2/14 Lawless Foundation ‘Excellence in Scholarship’ Award

7/13 Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society

3/13 Gold Humanism Honor Society

5/12 PLFSOM - Student Service-Learning Symposium Keynote Speaker

7/10 Full Tuition and Fees Scholarship to Paul L. Foster School of Medicine

5/10 Texas A&M Chemistry Department Achievement Award for Outstanding Seniors

5/10 Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society

Leadership

Director, Global HOPE Community Education and Outreach Division
Responsible for overseeing community outreach activities for an organization that provides pediatric cancer and blood disorders treatment in Botswana, Malawi, and Uganda.

Global Health and Childhood Cancer (GHCC) Podcast – Host and Executive Producer
Produce and host a podcast about health-systems issues in global pediatric hematology-oncology.
11/18-Present

Pediatric Oncology International Network for Training and Education (POINTE) – Executive Leadership
POINTE runs a website (www.CancerPOINTE.com) dedicated to promoting global childhood cancer education. I am part of the leadership staff. My duties involve designing and maintaining the website and networking with other groups.
8/15-Present

Gold Humanism Honor Society Chapter President
Administered the activities of the medical school’s chapter of GHHS. Started and lead a program for medical students to regularly visit patients in their homes.
6/13-5/14

Paul Foster Admissions Task Force
Meet with a small group of faculty and department heads to discuss the school’s admission processes.
4/13-5/14

Christian Medical and Dental Association
Participated in meetings, service projects, etc. Vice president of the school chapter for one year.
9/10-5/14

El Paso Baptist Clinic
Assist doctors in treating indigent population of an El Paso border community. Director of Student Volunteers for one year.
9/10-5/14

Education Activities

Courses
Biostatistics for Busy Clinicians - Lead a group in designing and delivering an eight course lecture series about the basics of biostatistics for physicians and other health care providers.
4/20 - Present


Digital Media
Global Health and Childhood Cancer Podcast – I produce and host a podcast a to provide educational content about health care deliver and improvement in low- and middle-income countries. I also write visual essays about these topics. www.GHCCPod.com.
11/18 – present

US COVID-19 Trends – I built a website to track COVID-19 case, death, and testing trends by state and select counties. www.USCOVIDTrends.com.
4/20 – 12/20


Written Materials
Pediatric Oncology Emergency Management Resources – Created resources with the TCH Global Hope program to train medical providers in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify, manage, and refer patients with oncologic emergencies.
7/19-3/20

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinical Care Handbook for Sub-Saharan Africa – I wrote a chapter about pain management in pediatric oncology patients in Africa for use at the TCH Global HOPE clinical care sites.
4/18


Lectures
Biostatistics for Busy Clinicians - Session 3: From Confusion to Confidence (p = 0.001)
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
Baylor College of Medicine
1/21

Biostatistics for Busy Clinicians - Session 2: Through the Womhole
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
Baylor College of Medicine
12/20

Biostatistics for Busy Clinicians - Session 1: (re)Learning to Drive
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
Baylor College of Medicine
11/20

TCH EpiCenter Research Corner: Math and Methotrexate
Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers
Baylor College of Medicine
8/20

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Scholarship Oversight Committee - Novel risk factors for glucarpidase use in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL): Hispanic ethnicity, age, and the ABCC4 gene.
3/31/20

McGovern Medical School Global Health Student Interest Group – What are the most important questions in global pediatric oncology?
1/8/20

Texas Children’s Cancer Center Quality Improvement Meetings – Improving comfort and knowledge of oncofertility: An institutional quality improvement project.
11/20/19

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Scholarship Oversight Committee - Pharmacogenomic Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Methotrexate Toxicity in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Determining Toxicity Risk, Clinical Outcomes, and Resource Utilization.
9/6/19

Texas Children’s Bone Marrow Transplant Team Meeting – How low can you go? Short telomeres and dyskeratosis congenita: conditioning regimens in limbo.
5/14/19

Texas Children’s Fellows College - Improving comfort and knowledge of oncofertility: An institutional quality improvement project.
4/24/19

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Scholarship Oversight Committee - Pharmacogenomic Analysis of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Methotrexate Toxicity in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Determining Toxicity Risk, Clinical Outcomes, and Resource Utilization.
2/8/19

Texas Children’s Neuro Oncology Journal Club - Identification of patients with localized Ewing sarcoma at high risk for local failure: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group.
12/19/18

International Society of Pediatric Oncology Treatment Abandonment Working Group Symposium- Why is abandonment still a problem? Answering the most pressing questions in global oncology.
11/18/18

Texas Children’s Cancer Center: Morbidity, Mortality, and Improvement Conference – A Growing Problem: Neuroendocrine Effects of Cranial Radiation
10/16/18

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Tumor Board – Neonatal Aortic Arch thrombosis: a difficult, rare, and dangerous diagnosis, but treatment is not in vein!
6/24/18

Texas Children’s Hematology Center Journal Club – Intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in children with iron deficiency anemia who respond poorly to oral iron
4/25/18

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Tumor Board – A High Pressure Situation: Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma
4/3/18

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Tumor Board – Fever, Fear and Facts: Can serologic markers help guide management of F&N?
2/6/18

Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers Tumor Board – Difficulties of diagnosing EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease
10/31/17

Texas Children’s Neuro-Oncology Journal Club – Clinical and Genetic Risk Prediction of Subsequent CNS Tumors in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: A Report from the COG ALTE03N1 Study
10/18/17

Bioinformatics

I currently lead a data analytics and monitoring group for Global HOPE (Hematology-Oncology Pediatric Excellence), an organization at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine which helps to provide care for children with cancer and blood disorders in the African countries of Botswana, Malawi, and Uganda. We designed a data collection pipeline that collects and records data from the countries that we use to report to stakeholders, derive operations insights, and perform research. This was a unique bioinformatics project as we operate across four countries (the three in Africa and the United States) with different regulatory requirements and technological capabilities. The treatment centers in Africa do not have electronic health records and data collection was fragmented and inconsistent. In the first phase of the project, we analyzed the constraints of the sites, identified the most informative data points across sites and disease types, and built a data management infrastructure primarily based on REDCap and R. Currently, we are developing quality control processes and reporting platforms for a variety of applications. This process has given me an intimate knowledge of designing and deploying a data transnational data pipeline.

I also have experience in bioinformatics in the US healthcare system. For the last three years, I have performed clinical research based on EMR data. My institution uses EPIC. As a physician, I have extensive knowledge of using the EMR for clinical care, and intimate knowledge of the pain points of the EMR both for clinical and research purposes. To complete my research, I developed a pipeline to extract large volumes of data from the record,and I coded a script in R to clean the data. For my analyses, I use Bayesian methods to construct models which I use both for inference and prediction. I have won several awards for this research, and I am submitting revisions for one paper from it and currently writing a second paper.

In the last three years, I have accrued significant experience working on important bioinformatics projects in both resource-replete, and resource-poor settings, which gives me a unique insight about the epistemic rodeo that is data management and software design for health care.

*Note: I plan to take the bioinformatics boards through the American Medical Informatics Association in October 2021.

Research

Technical Skills

  • Extracting large volumes of data from the electronic medical record

  • Wrangling extremely messy data into analyzable formats

  • R programming for statistical analyses

  • Implementing a reproducible research workflow

  • Communicating complex results using technology platforms

Statistical Skills

  • Basic biostatistics

  • Basic epidemiology

  • Generalized linear model development

  • Bayesian hierarchical model development

Fellowship projects

Click here and select the “Research and Publications” tab for my full list of publications
Research questions:
1. Are race and ethnicity risk factors for methotrexate toxicity or for requiring glucarpdisase in pediatric ALL?
2. Are specific single nucleotide polymorphisms risk factors for methotrexate toxicity or glucarpidase administration?
3. What other clinical risk factors may be identified for methotrexate toxicity or glucarparidase administration?
4. Can a clinically useful risk-prediction model be developed from the answer to questions 1-3?

Methods:
I extracted a large volume of data from the electronic medical record analyzed the genetic and clinical risk factors for glucarpidase administration, nephrotoxicity secondary to methotrexate use, and delayed clearance. I have developed multiple Bayesian heirarchical regression models for inference into genomic and clinical risk factors for the relevant outcomes. For this research I have been awarded an International Society of Pediatric Oncology Young Investigator award and several oral presentations at various scientific forums (see “Research” tab above). I am about to submit revisions of a paper analyzing risk factors for glucarpidase use. I am currently writing a paper about risk factors for delayed clearance and nephrotoxicty secondary to methotrexate.

Example

Click for larger image

Clinical Care

Click here and select the “Credentials” tab for my full list of credentials

Skills

  • Inpatient and outpatient management of general pediatric diseases
  • Inpatient and outpatient management of pediatric hematology-oncology diseases
  • Procedural competence in bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures

Evaluations by attending physicians during clinical training (2017-2020)

Quote 1

“During a busy overnight covering oncology, hematology and BMT, Mark went above and beyond expectations in caring for a critically ill child in the ICU. He maintained a hematology presence near the bedside while juggling all his additional tasks and phone calls, and he provided critical communication to the covering attending as things progressed. Though most of the care was active resuscitation performed by ICU staff, Mark showed his true colors as a caring, dedicated leader by remaining present there for almost the entire night. I have always been impressed by Mark, but his efforts that night solidified my confidence in his leadership and I am certain he is ready to be an attending. He is one of the strongest and most earnest fellows I have worked with. The family, ICU team and surgery team all commented on how impressed they were that he remained present for the entire night for this child.”

Quote 2

"Mark demonstrated well-informed and developed therapeutic decision making, was extremely efficient in implementing and communicating complex medical work-ups.

Mark is very independent and adept at developing and implementing plans for moderately complex patients, as well as incorporating/accommodating patient and family needs. We had several very ill patients (one requiring RRT), who Mark managed with sensitivity and calm.

Mark is a role model for interdisciplinary work, with colleagues, nursing, trainees, and other staff members.

Mark is very open/receptive to feedback, modification of approaches, and engages in self-reflection.
Mark is extremely professional with patients, even the most challenging situations (privately aware of frustrations, but never publically apparent to the patient, family or team).

Mark is extremely organized (notes were completed every day), encouraging the intern on the team to take ownership and advocating/supporting every member of the team

This is a particular strength of Mark’s, as he is constantly aware of the balance between cost-effectiveness and individualized care within the healthcare system as a whole (and as it applies to individual patients as well); and he consistently incorporates these aspects into his management plans."

Quote 3

“Mark was a joy to work with. He was one of the fellows on one of the most difficult BMT months I have had the opportunity to attend. He was always punctual, knew his patients, started to make evidence based decisions and was always prompt to recognizes and fix what needed to be fix ( electrolytes replenishment, diuresis for fluid overload, medications for blood pressure among others). He would periodically visit patients after rounds to check on them and reassess them after changes were made during rounds- which is something not every trainee does. He took autonomy over patients, but always came back with questions, and was always open to feedback. He did an excellent job during this BMT month despite being one of his first months as a Heme-onc fellow and this specific month being full of challenging diagnosis, several deaths and unexpected ICU admissions. He is already an excellent physician and pediatrician and I know he will excel as a heme-onc doc in whichever area he decides (hopefully BMT or cell therapy) in my unbiased opinion.”

Education

Click here and select the “Education Activities” tab for my full list of education activities

Current Activities

  • Global Health and Childhood Cancer - a podcast to provide education about global pediatric hematology-oncology (see below for more).

  • Pediatric Oncology International Network for Training and Education - a web page to promote global pediatric cancer education and training programs (see more below).

  • US COVID-19 Trends - I made a website to track state and select country trends of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and testing (see more below).

  • Pediatric oncologic emergency management resources - created resources to train medical providers in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify, manage and refer patients with oncologic emergencies.

  • Biostatistics for Busy Clinicians - a course to introduce clinicians to modern biostatistical methodologies. The course is being delivered in 8 one-hour sessions over the 2020-2021 academic year.

Global Health and Childhood Cancer

In partnership with the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries (PODC) Education and Training Working Group, I developed a podcast that regularly delivers educational episodes about current events in global pediatric oncology. Due to concerns about risk exposure, I created a single-member, Texas-based LLC to house the podcast called The Doctors’ Dialectic, of which I am the President and sole employee.

Current content: * The podcast has 22 episodes with more in development.
* We also have a YouTube channel where we are developing short educational videos. (click here to visit the youtube page).
* We have some experimental educational offerings such as this explainer blog post (click here to view) (I coded this myself in R).
* We also have Facebook and Twitter pages, and an ever expanding social media presence.

Click here to visit the homepage: GHCCpod.com

Results

Episode Downloads

Total Downloads from November 2018 - April 2020: 2,145
Which totals over 1,500 hours of educational content delivered.

Month-to-Month downloads (see gaph below) demonstrate the show is growing in popularity since it begun in November of 2018.

International Reach

We have had listeners from 81 countries with significant reach into both high-income and low-income countries.

Domestic Reach

We have also had a wide reach within various U.S. metro areas.

Podcast Website Stats

Since the podcast website launch in November of 2018 until April 2020 we have had:
* 3,400 users
* 4,700 sessions
* 8,650 page views
* Visitors from 133 countries

POINTE

In partnership with the SIOP PODC Education and Training Working Group, I helped to develop a webpage to host and display training opportunities and other educational materials for medical providers in low- and middle-income countries. I built the webpage myself. I had no previous web development experience. I have since stepped away from being the primary webmaster, but I still assist in the upkeep of the site.

Click here to visit the homepage: CancerPOINTE.com

Results

Website Stats

Since the websites inception in October of 2016 until April 2020 we have had:
* 7,900 users
* 11,650 sessions
* 33,800 page views

International Reach

We have had visitors from 156 countries.

Table for the countries with the top 10 visitors:

Domestic Reach

We have had a wide reach in U.S. metro areas.

Summary

I have the clinical, research, bioinformatic, health care delivery, and education skills that are necessary to effectively translate clinical medicine into bioinformatic and data science applications.